Case Studies, Change Management, Workplace Strategy Case Studies

Alternative Workplace Strategy for a Growing Workforce: a case study on a manufacturing company office

As Amway’s workforce continued to grow, the need to formulate an alternative workplace strategy became essential

Formulating a new workplace strategy for a larger employee population should not be taken lightly. This was the case with Amway when the organization decided to maximize its workspace because of its growing workforce.  

The Amway organization has enjoyed significant growth over the years. The world headquarters, located in Ada, Michigan, USA, stretches one mile from east to west and consists of 80 buildings and 3.5 million square feet of office and manufacturing space. More than 4,000 of the 14,000 global employees work in Ada, the same small town where Amway began over 50 years ago. The current campus was at full capacity and lacked sufficient conference rooms, enclosed team meeting rooms, and open, collaborative spaces. 

Given the company’s size, it was inevitable that some form of resistance and issues would arise.

These changes come with challenges. It has an impact on organizational culture, and it often necessitates changes in how performance is measured. Managing staff members who may not be seen throughout the day is a tremendous shift in leadership that managers are typically unprepared to accept easily. 

With change comes resistance; with resistance comes risk. Expecting managers to adopt new leadership skills when dealing with direct reports does not come without risks. This is where the expertise of Stegmeier Consulting Group (SCG) comes in. 

Going Through the Changes through a Pilot Program

As plans commenced for creating a workplace strategy, Amway conveyed they would have only one opportunity for a pilot program to introduce the new workplace strategy to a designated segment of the workforce. Amway feared that if the pilot program did not go well, the company risked losing the trust of all employees for future workplace changes.

Keeping this concern in mind, and through an initial assessment of Amway’s existing work environment, SCG consultants began to understand what support would be needed as an initiative took shape.

SCG conducted several consulting activities to help select and prepare 170 employees to participate in the pilot program. Administering a change readiness survey led to a better understanding of employee sentiments and concerns about the workplace and culture. It also became easy to identify employees with positive attitudes who could be candidates for an employee engagement group. 

Process for Amway Pilot Program

Stegmeier Consulting Group recognizes the team’s concern of “getting it right” the first time, as its culture will not quickly accept the second round of workplace transformation.

To best accomplish Amway’s goals, Stegmeier Consulting Group proposed a process for the pilot program which will address requirements that include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying & addressing the cultural adjustments necessary for success
• Assessing employees, as well as work tasks, that are suitable for participation in the pilot program
• Managing the expectations users have of their work environment
• Training pilot participants on new ways of working
• Anticipating and preparing for resolving issues that commonly arise
• Conduct Company/Leadership/Cultural readiness assessment

SCG recommended parallel processes to ensure the core team could move forward with a sense of urgency while awaiting alignment and commitment from Human Resources to support the pilot project.

Formulating the Workplace Strategy for Amway

Stegmeier Consulting Group led the Amway participants through the key findings of the firm’s 17-year research focused on overcoming resistance to workplace change.

SCG’s practice is formally defined as “strategically guiding organizational transformation while maintaining human psychological stability, and minimizing business process disruption.” Quite simply, the firm leverages best practices in change management to help clients significantly reduce workplace costs while improving workforce performance. It looks like a simple equation, yet it creates many challenges for enterprises embarking upon new workplace strategies.

Holding a Discovery & Applications™ Workshop

This workshop is essential in formulating the best workplace strategy for Amway. Discoveries on the benefits and issues of the plans for workplace changes were documented during the workshop. Thanks to data gathered by SCG throughout the years, pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses of the programs for change is easily identifiable, with ready recommendations for the issues discovered.

Creating and Implementing a Change Communication Plan

As the assessments, workshops, focus group discussions, and other vital processes took place, SCG simultaneously developed a Change Communications Plan.

A communication plan is designed to address the right audiences, in the proper sequence, and at the right points in the process. This thoughtful approach provides everyone involved with an understanding of what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and what may be expected of them.

SCG also facilitated bi-weekly meetings, via conference call, with the Amway Implementation Team (AIT). This ensured all parties had the needed support and were made aware of all upcoming change management activities. These meetings, along with the regularly occurring and mostly remote employee engagement team meetings, allowed SCG to react quickly to any issues or concerns recently raised by Amway’s workforce. It allowed for a more effective way to prepare employees for new ways of working.

Formulating Workplace Strategy with SCG

SCG addressed all the challenges with the right programs and tools to create a workplace strategy that was seamless, efficient, and effective. Breaking down issues, reading through data from workshops, and defining what can help the transition of Amway to a better workplace strategy were essential steps that led to the right workplace strategy.

Is your organization planning changes to the work environment or needing a new workplace strategy because of business growth or any other factor that calls for changes? SCG will be your partner through all these processes and ensure business continuity amidst the changes by lessening negative impacts and resistance. Get in touch with us through the form below, and we will be sure to give you the help you need to formulate the best workplace strategy for your business.